'There's more to do' | Thompson, teammates reflect on historic game

COLUMBUS -Tage Thompson was still not aware of the company he had made as he stood in front of reporters in the visiting dressing room at Nationwide Arena, even after the five goals had been scored, the six points tallied and celebrated, the commemorative photo taken.
So, no, it had not sunk in that Thompson had just joined Dave Andreychuk as the only players to score five goals in a single game in Sabres history. Nor had it settled that he and Pat LaFontaine were the only Sabres to record multiple six-point performances in a single season.
"I don't think it will," Thompson mused.
"The great and the bad part about it is you have a night like this, but tomorrow is a new day. You can't be satisfied. Obviously, it's a great achievement. You want to be happy for yourself. But at the same time, there's more to do. We're not where we want to be as a team and it's my job to help us get there."

Not being satisfied is what has taken Thompson to these heights, from first-round pick to trade chip, from Buffalo to Rochester and back, from injury-shortened season to 30-goal scorer and now - for the second time in barely over a month - to one of the great performances in Sabres history.
Don Granato had a front-row seat for much of it, having previously coached Thompson as a teenager with the U.S. National Team Development Program before they were reunited as Sabres 2019. Granato was an assistant with Buffalo when Thompson opened the 2019-20 season in Rochester, then earned a recall to Buffalo and sustained a season-ending injury in his very first game.
It was Granato who made the decision to switch Thompson to center prior to last season, a move made with the intention of freeing Thompson to use his unicorn combination of 6-foot-6 size, ankle-breaking stick handling, high-speed skating and a higher-speed shot. Granato and Thompson both believed in his potential; Granato simply told him it was time to seize it.
When Thompson reached 30 goals last season - he would reach 38, more than double his career total entering the year - both he and Granato immediately set their sights on the next milestone.
After Thompson's performance in Buffalo's 9-4 win over Columbus, Granato took out five pucks - one for each goal - out of his pockets and awarded them to his top centerman, one by one.

"To have a history with Tage, seeing him as a teenager and watching his growth and development, it's really special for me to be part of that success and to watch that happen," Granato said. "When you've seen a kid like him put the work in, it's nice to see the reward and rewards like this. Very special night."
Thompson's night began innocuously, with a secondary assist on Dylan Cozens' power-play goal less than four minutes into the game. He scored his first goal not quite two minutes later, burying a backhand shot on the rush after a slick feed from linemate Alex Tuch.
Thompson buried another pass from Tuch on the rush, then rifled a one-timer from his patented spot on the power play, the left faceoff circle, to complete a hat trick with 7:38 still to play in the first period. The Sabres went back on the power play, and Thompson buried another one-timer for his fourth goal.
All told, Thompson had four goals in 16:40 - the second-fastest set of four goals scored by a single player to open a game in NHL history. (The record belongs to Joe Malone, who scored his quartet in 8:40 to open a contest for the Hamilton Bulldogs in 1921.)

Thompson's five points were the most in a single period by any player in Sabres history. His seven shots tied the franchise record for a single period, joining Maxim Afinogenov and Jason Pominville.
"He just continues to elevate," Tuch said. "His work ethic has been unmatched lately. … He just keeps pushing, honestly, and it's just good to see. He got rewarded tonight and he deserved it."
The Sabres finished that first period leading 6-0. When the Blue Jackets dared to dream of a comeback, scoring two goals during the second period, it was Thompson who squashed their hopes with his fifth goal - again from the left circle, this one a wiring wrist shot.
Rasmus Dahlin, on pace for his own 100-point season, struggled to explain the performance afterward.
"It's like, 'Oh, great play, great play,'" Dahlin said. "It's a great play every time he's on the ice, so the first four games it was impressive. Now it's like day-to-day stuff."

Thompson has 21 goals and 40 points this season. Only Connor McDavid and Jason Robertson have more goals this season; only McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Robertson have more points.
Thompson is on pace for 66 goals and 126 points - no Sabres player has scored even 50 goals or 100 points since LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93.
It's a testament to what he's already accomplished and a reminder of what's still possible.
"It's definitely a rewarding feeling," Thompson said. "You spend a lot of years working to get to this point. To be rewarded for it, it's a pretty good feeling and it leaves you hungrier. You want more from yourself. You know you're capable of it now. It's just something I'm excited for. You get a night like this and now you just want to continue to grow and continue to test yourself."